Earlier in His ministry Jesus said
clearly that righteousness suited for entry to heaven needed to exceed
Pharisaical righteousness (Matthew 5:20). Jesus spoke of the incompatibility of
a patching up old clothes with new cloth to illustrate that which is old needs
to be replaced with something new at times (Matthew 9:16). He pointed out that new
wine needed new, not old wineskins otherwise the skins would burst. All of this
was to say the Old Covenant could not be patched up or the wine of a New
Covenant poured into the old wineskins of the Old Covenant. That which is new
needs new material. The New Covenant Jesus was ushering in needed New Covenant
wineskins (Matthew 9:17). This was not easy for Hebrews to accept.
Paul is making an argument to the
Hebrew believers in Jesus for not returning to the rituals and law of the Old
Covenant. In the last chapter he spoke of the annulling of the former covenant
due to its weakness and unprofitableness to perfect the saint (Heb. 7:18-19).
In this last chapter Jesus is presented as the "surety" or down payment, or proof "of a better covenant" (Hebrews 7:22). Now in chapter 8 Paul
will elaborate more on why the New Covenant is "better" than the Old Covenant.
Hebrews 8 (NKJV)
8
Now this is the main point of the things we are saying:
We will now be
given a summation of what has been argued thus far in Hebrews. It is a summary
of why the New Covenant in Christ is better and superior to and makes the Old
Covenant obsolete and annulled.
We have such a High Priest, who is seated
at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a
Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected,
and not man.
Jesus is the
fulfillment of the Melchizedekian Priesthood promised by God in the Messianic
Psalm 110:4. Jesus has provided through the cross a "once for all" (Hebrews 7:27) completely sufficient and
superior atoning sacrifice for all sin. Unlike a Levitical priest who can enter
the Holy of Holies only once a year and then with fear and trembling, Jesus
"is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." Just
as an attorney sits when he rests his case before a judge, Jesus is seated and
has rested His case for atonement of sin. And He Himself and His wounds are the
decisive evidence for His case and through Him our case as well. Jesus is the "Minister of the sanctuary and of the
true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man." The distance in
superiority of the New to the Old Covenant is as vast as the distance from
heaven to earth.
One commentator
provides a further good summary stating:
The divine oath of Psalm 110:4 [quoted in
Hebrews 5:6; 7:17 and 21] which prophesied of
the establishment of an eternal Melchizedekian priesthood had now, in the
lifetime of those to whom the
Epistle to the Hebrews was written, been fulfilled. Such a Priest is not a figment of wishful thinking or
speculation. He is now a reality. He is the believer's possession. The waiting is over. Jesus has risen and sits
exalted on the right hand of God. He
has completed everything necessary for
the atonement of the sins of the whole human race
and has sat down in God's heavenly sanctuary in the place of preference and blessing. All of God's favor and
authority are His to command. He does not stand or bow in the presence of God as a sinful priest must. He is seated,
because He is the Son, and His sacrifice
is completed. Although He represents men who are upon the earth, He is not ministering in an earthly temple or
tabernacle; He deals with spiritual realities in God's heavenly abode.[1]
Because of what
Jesus has done on the cross you and I can come and fellowship with the Father
even when we have messed up. Even if we've missed or neglected our devotions,
even if we've missed church services or some other shortcoming we can come to
the Father through faith in the Son Jesus and fellowship in His Presence.
Because of what Jesus did on the cross for us, the impediments and obstacles to
God's Presence composed of our sins and spiritual shortcomings are obliterated,
the veil of any separation caused by sin is torn asunder and we can enter into
God's Holy Presence to fellowship in sweet loving peace and security. God truly
and graciously loves us into His presence. Because of this we offer sincere and
heartfelt praise to God.
3 For every high priest is
appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary
that this One also have something to offer. 4 For if He were on
earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts
according to the law; 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the
heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the
tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to
the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
The Levitical priests offered "gifts and sacrifices." Jesus offered Himself as the
greatest gift and sacrifice. Levitical priests are limited by the law. They "serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly
things." In other words the Tabernacle and Temple, Law of sacrifices
and Feast Days, these all were only a "shadow" (Greek skia)
an interception of light, something behind what the light shines on and lesser
than the light source.
This "shadow" is important because it is a "pattern" (Greek typos) or a die, a shape, a statue, a resemblance, a model, imitation, a figure
or pattern of something else. "Moses
was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said,
'See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the
mountain." It was important that Moses follow Gods' instructions
precisely so that the "pattern" or model God gave him would be an accurate presentation of what God was
revealing about His plan of sacrifice and salvation from sin.
6 But
now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator
of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. 7 For
if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been
sought for a second.
A team that wins the championship does not fire its
coaches. But there are many coaches fired from the teams that didn't win the
championship. You don't change a winning combination. You keep changing and
trying to improve a combination that doesn't win. Similarly, if the Old
Covenant was a "winner" in perfecting the saints it would have been
kept, but because it was a loser in this regard a New Covenant was sought to
accomplish what the Old Covenant could not accomplish. This "loser"
status of the Old Covenant was not any reflection on God, it was a reflection
and revelation to humanity of their weakness and shortcomings. The Old Covenant
was based on human obedience (e.g. Deut. 4:1). That humanity could not obey the
Old Covenant exposes the deficiency in fallen sinful humanity.
8 Because
finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—9 not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took
them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not
continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.
God found "fault
with them." It was fallen, rebellious, sinful humanity that led to the
loss under the Old Covenant and the need for a New Covenant. God foresaw this
and laid out this as part of His overall plan so that there would be no mistake
about the neediness of sinful humanity and the greatness of His grace.
Here we are introduced to the heart of the New Covenant
as well as the distinctive difference and superiority of the New Covenant to
the Old. The Old Testament prophets Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel
36) both were inspired by God to predict a New Covenant, "not according to the covenant that I
made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them
out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I
disregarded them, says the Lord."
God led His people "by the
hand," tenderly like a Father holds the hand of their child and leads
them. He led them out of the bondage of Egypt but "they did not continue in My covenant." They received the
incredible opportunity to walk with God and receive all His blessings but they
complained against God and refused to obey Him and so God "disregarded them, says the LORD." They did not enter the
Promised Land. They did not enjoy the Presence of God. But God had a plan to
fix humanity.
10 For
this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, says the Lord: I
will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be
their God, and they shall be My people.
Under the Old Covenant the Laws of God were written
impressively on stone tablets. But as impressive as these Laws of God were and
as impressively as they were delivered (cf. Exodus 19), they were external. But in the New Covenant God
would "put My laws in their mind
and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My
people." Jon Courson aptly explains, " grace
would put into us everything God wants out of us.…" [2]
The
New Covenant is a covenant of grace. It does involve effort from us, but only
effort energized by God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit in a spiritual
birthed person (Phil. 2:12). In reality, this New Covenant is "God who
works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
As Paul was inspired to write to the Corinthians, "But by the grace of
God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more
abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with
me" (1 Cor. 15:10).
The
Old Covenant was as effective as making a New Year's resolution; a few weeks
after a well intentioned resolution is made, we fail. But the New Covenant is
effective because it is based on God's internal empowerment of the spiritually
birthed believer in Jesus. The New Covenant is powerful because the Presence of
God comes to reside within the believer by the Holy Spirit who indwells them
(e.g. Romans 8:9-10; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19-20). We are never alone and we are never
to attempt to live in our own strength. The
Holy Spirit is in us and will empower us to do, by God's grace, what He calls
us to do, for His glory, until He returns.
11 None
of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the
least of them to the greatest of them.
Here is the outcome of the New Covenant. It involves the presence of God within, the still small voice of the Spirit leading
and guiding and assuring the born again believer. The still small voice with
which God spoke to Elijah is not available to all who call on God by grace
through faith in Jesus (e.g. 1 Kings 19:12). Praise the Lord for His presence
and still small voice!
A congregant who hadn't been in church for some time
finally returned and went to the pastor to complain that the pastor hadn't
sought him out to bring him back to church. The pastor's response was,
"That's not my job. That's the job of the Holy Spirit. Under the New
Covenant the Holy Spirit reminds you of what God has written on your heart. The
believer knows they should be in
church and knows they should read
their Bible, and knows they should
serve the Lord. You knew you should be in church. You should have simply
listened and followed the leading of the Spirit."
A problem arises when people insert themselves in the
role that is meant for the Holy Spirit. the spouse complains to or injects what
they believe are helpful nudges to get their partner to do what they feel God
wants them to do. But more often than not such efforts are counterproductive and
more aggravating than advancing the cause of Christ. We have to rest people and circumstances in the
hands of the Lord. This is part of what we saw in Hebrews 3 - 4. In the New
Covenant we can live at rest knowing that the Holy Spirit is always at work. Yes,
there will be times when we are called upon to correct or to encourage, but
before we do anything we should sensitively seek the leading of the Holy Spirit
in what we do.
Jon Courson offers the following insight:
Gang, we don’t need anyone to put rules on us or
regulations around us because the Lord lives
in us. And that’s the great thing about Christianity. When you’re walking with
the Lord, when you’re living in the New
Covenant, you don’t have resolutions and regulations,
stipulations and obligations. Those are the way of the law.
Instead, you just do what the Lord is
writing on your heart, telling you in your mind, whispering in your ear moment by moment.…
“Talk to
that guy over there,” or,
“Go to the Mission,” or,
“Make her some chocolate chip cookies.…”
And all you
have to do is say, “Okay. Far out!”—and do it. That’s what it means to be a born-again New Covenant, Spirit-led
Christian, for whatever God wants from you, by His grace, He will work within you (Philippians 2:13).
Our
brothers and sisters in the first-century church were the most radical
Christians in all of history.
They sold all of their possessions. They spread throughout the world. They lived for the kingdom. But you know
what? They didn’t get together and study Hebrews, because Hebrews wasn’t yet written. They didn’t study the
theological implications of Romans
because Romans wasn’t written. They didn’t scrutinize the teachings of Jesus as
recorded in John’s Gospel
because John’s Gospel wasn’t written.
They didn’t
have the written New Testament—but they did understand the reality of the New Covenant. They obeyed what the
Lord was writing in their hearts. And as a result, they turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). Then, when the New
Testament was written and began to
circulate through the church, it was a confirmation of what they were already doing because it was
the same Lord who had been writing His will for them upon their hearts.
Today, sad
to say, many don’t understand the New Covenant. Our Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Bible.
We’ve lost touch with how the Holy Spirit speaks
to us moment by moment because we’ve replaced His voice with the written Word. Many churches and organizations
study the Bible and are right in their theology— but they’re dead right because theirs is knowledge for
knowledge’s sake. The New Testament
was never intended to be an esoteric, intellectual, theological trip for people
who like to fill notebooks,
answer questions, and work on workbooks. That was never the intent of the New Testament writer.
What was the intent? To provide a way believers could be confirmed or corrected in what they were already
living out as a result of obeying
the still, small voice of the Spirit.
The person
who’s really used by the Lord is one who simply says, “You’re going to tell me moment by moment what I should
do, and, Lord, I will just say, ‘Yes,’ to whatever You say.” A whole lot of people have made the New
Testament writings the new law. Like
Pharisees searching for jots, tittles, and interesting insights, they fail to
see that the Word was simply written
to nudge them along in their walk and to confirm the voice of the Lord in their heart.[3]
Please don't use these words to diminish your study of
God's word. Please don't abuse these words to rationalize a more lackadaisical
and lazy walk with God. These words should do just the opposite. The Spirit
inspired scripture and uses scripture to speak to us and confirm His will. The
point is that we need to live and walk in
the Spirit if we are to realize the purpose and power of God's word. It's
not either or but both and. The New Covenant life in the Spirit is Listening to the inner still small voice of
the Spirit, confirming it with His inspired word, then walking in obedience to
His confirmed word. That is a living way.
The problem is that Christians are students of the word
but never graduate to life to apply what they learn. The problem is that our
study of scripture doesn't' t lead us into God's presence, it only leads to a
class room experience that never produces spiritual fruit. The problem is
students of scripture aren't first listening to their Teacher the Holy Spirit.
Listen to the Spirit. Confirm His words with His Word.
12 For
I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
"For I will be merciful to
their unrighteousness." Think about that people. Think about that.
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness." The New Covenant
is God's revelation and fulfillment of what the prophet Micah wrote, "Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not
retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have
compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will casts all our sins
into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham,
which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old" (Micah 7:18-20).
13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has
made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready
to vanish away.
Twice the Old Covenant is said to
be "obsolete" (Greek palaioo) or worn out, decayed, obsolete. It's ready and time for it to "vanish away."It remains
useful in that we can look back at it and see the revelation of God laying the
ground work for the New Covenant and It's Provider Jesus. But it is no longer
to be relied upon. It is old and worn out. It's time to move on to live under
the New Covenant.
One commentary states:
Verse 13 gives the writer's
concluding remarks on his citation of the new covenant text from Jeremiah 31:31-34. But this
only serves as a launching pad for the main discussion of its superiority which is developed in chapters 9 and 10. The
main contention at this point was
that the announcement of a new covenant and the introduction of the Son necessitated the cancellation of the
Mosaic covenant (7:11,18; 8:7). The new and the old are incompatible. They cannot coexist.
The new antiquates the old. Being obsolete, the old was near its vanishing point. It was gone—in A.D. 70.[4]
The New Covenant is a beautiful
provision of God's grace. It takes into account and overcomes what the Old
Covenant did not. You see, under the Old Covenant the spotlight was on our sin.
Under the Old Covenant we experienced guilt and failure. Such guilt and failure
is a weight that slows us down to a crawl and even sinks and smothers us in the
quicksand of sin. But the New Covenant liberates us from sin and guilt. Under
the New Covenant we see our sinfulness, our limitations, our shortcomings in
all their various forms, but because of
God's gracious provision in Christ He is merciful and blesses us, and puts up
with us and keeps drawing us closer to Himself. Under the New Covenant
God's constant reminder is "their
sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."
Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what
you don't deserve. It is the mercy and grace of God that draws us into His
presence.
What makes me want to know God and walk with Him? Why do I
start my day wanting to touch
base with the Lord and be in the Word? Why am I here. . .? One reason: God’s mercy.
I am such a jerk. I have failed so miserably. I have missed the mark so greatly.
I have been so inconsistent and
stubborn. I’ve been such a sinner. And yet God keeps blessing me; He keeps putting up with me; He keeps
allowing me to know Him.
I look at my life, my family, this church,
the nation, the world—and I say, “Lord Your mercy
is incredible. How good You’ve been to me. I don’t pray the way I could or should. I don’t know as much as I
should know at this point in my walk with You. I don’t serve You with the kind of faithfulness You’re worthy of. But,
Lord, You just keep blessing.
You keep showing mercy. You keep forgiving—and I have no other choice but to want to know You more.”[5]
This is God's provision to come into His presence. Jesus is
the One in Whom and through Whom this provision has been delivered.
[1]
Complete Biblical Library Commentary - The Complete Biblical Library –
Hebrews-Jude.
[2] Courson,
J. (2003). Jon Courson’s Application
Commentary (p. 1481). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
[3] Courson,
J. (2003). Jon Courson’s Application
Commentary (p. 1482). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
[4]
Complete Biblical Library Commentary - The Complete Biblical Library – Hebrews-Jude.
[5] Courson,
J. (2003). Jon Courson’s Application
Commentary (pp. 1482–1483). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
No comments:
Post a Comment